i HENRY BURY Intelligencer i " ? . P L* In her two decades as a commercial tilot and flying instructor, Lyn Knell hasown over some of the most beautiful ter- rain in British Columbia and North America. Nowadays her feet are firmly planted on the ground, running her own business in Belleville. Knell operates The Green Home Centre on Bell Boulevard, a successful retail outlet for reusable building materials that boasts ' everything from kitchen sinks, concrete blocks, bathtubs, screen doors to electrical and plumbing fixtures, lumber, kitchen cupboards and windows. * It's the only business of its type in the Quinte area and has received recognition from the Recycling Council of Ontario for diverting waste from landfill as well as receiving various local business achieve- ment awards. <- Knell said her business has been grow- ing every year "because the Quinte area is very environmentally conscious in terms of recycling and we are really benefitting from that." In Knell's first year of operation, the •business diverted 467 tonnes of used building materials from landfill. She believes that number is even higher now and she is proud of that and her store in general. "Running a business is very satisfying and gratifying. You get out what you put into it," said the 4 5-year-old Ameliasburgh Township resident. ,e "Flying is very gratifying as well but in a -different way," added Knell, who earned her private pilot's licence at the age of 17? Knell also expects to garner a lot of sat- isfaction this year in her new role as presi- dent of the Belleville and District Chamber of Commerce. "Being in business for myself, I know first-hand some of the obstacles facing small businesses and I have had experience dealing with the same issues that most<£>f our chamber members are dealing with," she said. "And the time I spend on cham- ber activities, I believe, will only help my own business grow directly and indirectly." Knell joined the local chamber shortly j after opening The Green Home Centre in the summer of 1996. After serving on vari- ous committees, she became a director in 2000 and joined the chamber executive in j 2002. The former vice-president of finance second and first vice-president took over as president Jan. 1, succeeding Bob Doyle. "It's important'to keep business inter- ests in the forefront when decisions are being made on a local, provincial and national level. As a representative of. the chamber, I am able to voice the concerns of our members at those levels." Knell's love affair with flying goes back almost 30 years. Born in Vienna, she was only a year old when her parents decided to emigrate to Canada to seek better opportunities. She grew up in Laval, Que. But in her